Connoisseurs’ Marketplace runs July 20-21

MENLO PARK — For a sun-splashed weekend featuring world-class art by 250 of America’s top artists, two days of stellar live music, engaging chefs’ demos, fabulous food and drink, artisan specialty food purveyors, a collector car show, home and garden exhibits, health and wellness displays, an organic and green products showcase, and tons of fun for kids, head to charming, tree-lined downtown Menlo Park for Connoisseurs’ Marketplace on July 20-21.

Presented by the Menlo Park Chamber of Commerce, large crowds are expected to pour onto the downtown streets for this vibrant celebration of visual, performing and culinary arts. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. Admission is free. Take a leisurely stroll down charming, tree-lined Santa Cruz Avenue and experience a world-class sampler for the senses.

Festivalgoers will find thousands of extraordinary handcrafted items by America’s top artists and craftmakers at this juried show. Chat with and buy from 250 artists on hand with their latest creations. Featuring original work in sculpture, paintings, photography, glass, ceramics, textiles, jewelry, leather, wood, metal and mixed media, the festival is considered among the top art shows in the Bay Area. Vases, flatware, clocks, dishes, wall and table decorations, paperweights, stained and beveled glass, etchings, sculptures, photography, oil and watercolor paintings, beadwork, gold and silver jewelry, vests, handbags, hats, wallets, footwear, windchimes, and waterfalls are among the one-of-a-kind items available.

The best of the Bay Area music scene comes to Menlo Park with nine sensational bands playing an eclectic, fun-filled mix of classic rock ‘n roll, rhythm and blues, contemporary jazz, funk, dance and party music on stage and street. The free “Saturday Twilight Concert” will feature the dynamic rhythm and blues band California Blues Machine, from 5:30-8 p.m. in Fremont Park. The music lineup includes The Megatones, NBTB/Nothin’ But the Beat, The Element, Michael Barrett & Friends, SF Bay Jazz, HeartStrings Music, Oscar Reynolds, and Emerson & The GroWiser Band.